Means for stacking metal goods containers



Nov. 17, 1942.

H. PAULIN 2,302,140 MEANS FOR STACKING METAL GOODS CONTAINERS Filed July 17, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' 'Nov. 17,1942.

1o //4 9 7 1s 54 f H. PAULIN MEANS FOR STACKING METALGOODS CONTAINERS Filed July 1.7, 1941 2 sheets-Sheet 2 [rive/11 0 1; 17w Paw/in.

Patented Nov. 17, 1942 MEANS FOR STACKING METAL GOODS CONTAINERS Harry Paulin, Toronto, Ontario; Canada Application July 17, 1941, Serial No. 402,805

Claims.

The principal objects of this invention are to enable the supporting of individual goods containers in compact stacked form for convenient accessibility to the contents and to provide an economical form of support for this purpose which will be adaptable to various requirements and will permit the ready addition of individual units.

The principal feature of the invention resides in the novel construction of a support adapted to removably receive and interlock with a series of individual goods containers and also formed to interlock with one or more similar supporting units and whereby the individual boxes may be stacked in one or more columns of variable lengths and with the columns disposed either in a common plane or in angular related planes.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a plurality of the interlocking supporting units arranged in a common plane for the support of a side-by-side series of stacks of containers, one container being shown in place.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view showing two of the interlocking supporting units arranged in interfitting end-to-end relation for supporting an extended stack of containers.

Figure 3 is a vertical section through a series of supporting units connected in end-to-end relation and showing the containers in supported relation thereto.

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 55 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional detail taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a plan view showing a series of the container-supporting units interlocked in sideby-side but angularly related relation.

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional plan taken through the interlocking zone of a pair of mounting units showing the connecting tongue element distorted.

In carrying the,present invention into practise in the preferred form I provide a plurality of individual and inter-fitting and interlocking supporting units A, each having the side edges turned inwardly to form side flanges l and 2 which are parallel longitudinally but converge inwardly to overhang the main body portion of the metal sections A.

The continuity of the side flanges I is broken to provide locking tongues 3 which project as tion of the units A beyond the side flanges I, and these tongues are provided with downturned locking lugs 4.

Slots 5 are formed in the corner between the side flanges 2 and the main back portion of the plate of suflicient vertical length to receive the interlocking tongues 4, the slots being oifset upwardly so that the lower extremities thereof are in transverse alignment with the under surface 3' of the tongue projections 3 of the same plate, so that when the tongues of one unit are inserted into the openings 5 of the adjacent unit and then relatively displaced longitudinally the projecting lengths of the tongues 4 will extend below the lower limits of the slots, thus efiectively interlocking the respective units together.

Local depressions 5 are pressed mainly in the back portions of the plates extending substantially equally above and below the lower limits of the slots in order to accommodate the extension' and tongue portions 3 and 4 so that they will not form obstructions as the containers B are slid individually into place between the holding side flanges l and 2. The beaded formation 1 of the inner end of the containers B will be accommodated behind the overhanging flanges l and 2 so that the containers will be efiectively interlocked with the flanges against accidental removal.

The containers themselves form no part of the present invention and are here shown of a general rectangular form having a pivotal front closure 8 adapted to be swung downwardly to permit ready access to the contents.

Each of the sectionalized mounting units A is provided with a right-angularly disposed bottom flange 9 and a short distance thereabove a pair of semi-circular tongues I0 are pressed rearwardly so that they extend downwardly in spaced relation to the rear face of the units, as best represented in Figures 2 and 6, and these tongues are adapted when the units A are connected in end-to-end relation, as represented in Figure 2, to embrace the upper extremity of the lower unit, the flanges l and 2 being terminated in substantial alignment with the upper extremity of the tongues I0 to permit the lowermost portion of the unit to enter between the upper exintegral side projections of the main back portremities of the flanges of the lower unit.

In mounting the supporting units on a bench, shelf or other horizontal support, fastening elements ll may be passed through the horizontal flange 9 of the lowermost unit or units, and it will be noted that each supporting unit A will accommodate a definite number of containers B,

as represented in Figure 3, and they may be stacked together with their contents for a considerable height, since each vertical group of containers will have a definite bearing support on the outturned flange 9 in addition to the support afforded by direct contact of the various containers.

The mounting units are also advantageously perforated at suitable points as represented at l2 so that fastening elements I3 may be inserted therethrough directly into a wall structure.

It will be readily appreciated that with a sectionalized form of supporting unit such as described the containers may be effectively supported in any desired stacked relationship, either in a series of short stacks, as represented in Figure 1, or in one or more longer stacks, as represented in Figures 2 and 3, or, where it is desired to arrange the various stacks in angular relation to each other, this may be readily provided for by bending the connecting tongue extensions 3 the required amount without in any way destroying the interlocking feature.

The construction defined is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and it effectively meets the requirements for a practical form of supporting means for individual containers, and it will be found particularly useful for the storing of accessories or small parts in automobile supply houses and in garages, and in fact will be useful in any establishment where it is necessary to carry in stock a wide assortment of small parts or articles, or a workman may have small parts readily available on his bench.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention I may resort to further structural interpretations within the essential spirit thereof.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Means for stacking goods containers comprising upright channel-shaped members with inwardly bent flanges adapted to frictionally grip the ends of stacked containers of the right size, and means arranged at the lower ends of said channel members for interlockingly supporting said channel members in end-to-end relation.

2. Means for stacking goods containers comprising upright channel members having the bottom ends of the side flanges terminating short of the bottom ends of the backs thereof, flanges extending horizontally from the bottom ends of said members, and tongues offset backwardly from the web of the channel arranged adjacent to the lower ends of said upright members and adapted to engage in looking contact with the upper edges of aligned upright channel members arranged in longitudinal extension alignment therewith.

3. Means for stacking goods containers comprising upright channel members having laterally extending tongue portions extending outwardly from the web beyond the flange at one side of each channel member and having a downturned locking lug the flange at the other side of each channel member having a slot to receive the outwardly extending tongue of an adjacent member to interlock said upright members in side-by-side relation.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, in which the back of the upright channel members is formed with local depressions at the inward side of the flanges at one side thereof to register with the slots through said flanges, said depressions being adapted to receive the interlocking tongues of the adjacent member.

5. Means for stacking goods containers formed with a beaded flange at one end, said stacking means comprising sheet metal members having longitudinal edge flanges converging inwardly to form interlocking engagement with the beaded flanged end of the containers, the bottom ends of each of said upright members having rightangularly disposed flanges forming a base to support said uprights, said uprights being formed with interlocking means to hold them in endwise arrangement to form an extended upright stack.

HARRY PAULIN. 

